Saving Lives and Calling Out Racism w/ Dr. Calvin Smith, III

Dr. Calvin Smith, III is an Atlanta-native hailing from Westlake HIgh School, Morehouse College, and Meharry Medical College's School of Medicine. He is a Black man and advocate working in Nashville, TN at COVID-19 testing centers--and of course, he's an "everyday person" experiencing this Global Pandemic. During our talk, Dr. Calvin shared more about his experience serving and engaging with patients and communities impacted by COVID-19. We talked about how racism and politics have huge implications for our health and well-being, specifically Black and African-American communities. At the time of recording, we'd learned about Amy Cooper, the white woman who lied to police about a Black man who asked her to leash her dog in a park, Joe Biden's offensive comments about Black people voting for Trump, and the untimely deaths of Ahmaud Arbery and George Floyd at the hands of police and white vigilantes, so we discussed it all! Dr. Calvin positions racism and police brutality as a public health crisis and we talk candidly about the role of white people and allies in dismantling these systems. We also talk about what to expect from a COVID-19 test and what it means to be 'compassionate' during this time, specifically how something as simple (yet impactful) as wearing a mask is a practical way to show care for your fellow humans.

Email Dr. Calvin Smith, III - [email protected]

Visit the Meharry Internal Medicine Clinical Facility webpage here.

*We do not own the rights to the music in this episode. Song: People Everyday by Arrested Development*